9 Ways To Beat Jet Lag Every Time You Fly

By Phoebe McRae - 25 Aug 2017

There’s nothing better than jumping on a long-haul flight. You’re usually off on some sort of adventure—whether it’s to Rio de Janeiro for work or Buenos Aires for play—and as soon as you check in at the airport you instantly enter holiday mode.

The best part? No one can call you, text you or email you for at least 12 hours, making any sign of jet lag 100% worth it. Lucky for you, we’ve teamed up with Air New Zealand (who fly to Buenos Aires from most Australian capital cities on the reg) so you never have to endure jet lag again. Take notes and thank us later.

Before You Fly

OPT FOR A PM FLIGHT

This might seem a little obvious but trust us when we say you’re pretty much guaranteed to get some sleep while on-board if you book yourself a night flight, even if you swear you’re someone who can’t sleep while flying.

START YOUR HOLIDAY EARLY

Yes, we’re serious and yes, you would be silly not to listen us. Don’t leave all your work to the last minute, pack more than an hour before you’re due at the airport and make sure you get your beauty sleep while you’ve still got access to you own bed (even if you are giddy with excitement). If you want to count down the days until you leave by unwinding with a different kind of cocktail each night, we completely support this too.

ADJUST THE TIME TO YOUR DESTINATION

As soon as you wake up on the day you’re due to fly out, update your phone/watch/any other high tech gadget to the time at your final destination. If it’s their dinnertime when it’s our breakfast time, eat dinner for breakfast. What could be better than steak for breakfast? Nothing.

While You Fly

AVOID ALCOHOL + CAFFEINE

Sorry - we know this one is hard to swallow - but one of the best ways to avoid jet lag is to avoid alcohol and caffeine (our two fave pastimes). A cheeky wine on-board won’t hurt but limit yourself to one glass and one glass only then request water for the rest of the flight. Save the caffeine hit until you land and please don’t hate us.

MOISTURISE, MOISTURISE, MOISTURISE

Jet lag doesn’t just affect your body clock; it affects your skin too. Save yourself from the dreaded puffy face in the day following your arrival by moisturising as often as you can. We don’t mean to scare your neighbour with an extravagant overnight facemask but apply a little something every few hours and be ready for the ‘grams as soon as you land.

SWITCH OFF + GET SOME ZZZs

Inflight entertainment is one of our fave things about flying but it turns out you shouldn’t stay awake staring at a screen for 14+ hours straight watching every movie you’ve missed over the last year. Make sure you switch off at some point and get those ZZZ’s.

After You Fly

GET OUTSIDE

So you’ve fiiiiiinally hit the ground, collected your suitcase that we all know you over packed and are on your way into the city. Stay awake. We repeat, stay awake. Do not go to sleep. Get outside. Get moving. Drink the coffee we said you couldn’t drink or even better, go on a bar crawl. You are permitted to go to bed only once the sun has gone down.

TAKE NAPS

You’re officially on holiday and naps are totally acceptable, if not encouraged. Enjoy.

#CLEANEAT

We know you want to eat alllllll the delicious food you cannot get in Australia but the bad news is you’re better off #cleaneating for the first day or two until your body clock adjusts. But don’t worry too much, #cleaneating includes eating dulce de leche from a jar, right? Right.

Editor's note: This article is proudly sponsored by Air New Zealand and endorsed by The Urban List. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who make The Urban List possible. Click here for more information on our editorial policy.

Image credit: Jovana Rikalo

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By Phoebe McRae

Phoebe is a Brisbane-born sun lover who moved to Sydney for a career in fashion but got distracted by food, glorious food. The least committed gym junkie you'll ever meet, what she lacks in pilates finesse, she makes up for in dinner recommendations.